Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 16 May 2004 14:46:39 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Heather Smyth" Title: Alone Inside Author: Heather Smyth Series: TNG Part: 8/? Rating: R Code: P/C Disclaimer: Paramount owns all Startrek and I derive no financial gain from this story...just a little fun. Summary: See part one. Guinan stood in the doorway and watched the dozing Doctor. She stepped into the room and noticed that the Doctor's hand was holding the hand of the man in the bed. She was about to leave when Beverly woke. She scanned the monitors and began to stand when Guinan made her presence known. "It's only me Beverly." "Oh Guinan.I." "It's ok. I just dropped by to see you both." Beverly sat back down and yawned. "Well here we are." The barkeeper came up beside the bed and stared compassionately at the comatose Captain. "How long will he be like this?" "Another eight days." "How is he physically?" "Oh he's doing well. His arm is healing and we hope to put a smaller prosthesis on in two days. It was a terrible injury." "And psychologically?" "He's shut down Guinan. Right now no one can reach him." "I tried to talk to him you know, but he shut me out." Beverly smiled ruefully and lowered her head. "Yes, he can be a little.obtuse." The two women sat in silence for a while before Guinan peeped at her friend. "How far along are you?" Beverly's face registered her shock. "What?" "You're pregnant. How far along are you?" "Eight weeks. How did you know?" "You're glowing." "Is that based on any quantifiable method?" "No. I just know that's all. Does he know?" Beverly shook her head sadly and sighed. "No. I chose not to tell him straight away. I figured we'd have a romantic dinner when I returned and I'd tell him then." "Does it complicate things?" "To be absolutely honest.I'm not sure. I really don't know how he'll take the news. On top of everything else." "Beverly.be assured. It will all work itself out.eventually." Beverly laughed tiredly and shook her head. "And on what do you base that?" "Just trust me." Beverly tilted her head and cast a long look at her friend. Nodding she said quietly, "Ok." Three days later Jean-Luc had further surgery. A smaller prosthesis was fitted as the bones, muscles, nerves and blood vessels of his upper arm were completely healed. His shoulder was again functional and his elbow moved freely. Only his lower arm, wrist and hand needed further treatment. He had lengthy regeneration sessions and his fingers were manipulated frequently. Physically he was doing well. Beverly continued to be his constant companion, only retiring to her quarters at the insistence of Selar, late every evening. The treatment of her hypertension and headaches went by on schedule and the pregnancy continued unhindered. For the next five days they would finish treating the Captain's injuries and prepare to wake him. Duly that day arrived. Deanna called by Beverly's quarters in the morning and together they made their way to Sick Bay. The previous afternoon, Will, Deanna Selar and Beverly had met to discuss the treatment. Will was stalking about the office. "So how long after administering the psychotropic drug do you wait 'til you try and reach him?" It was Deanna who answered. "I will know. If the drug works as it should, I will get a sense of his self emerging from the closed mental state." Will turned to her and asked, "So how will you make contact?" "If he's in the same state as he's been in the past, he'll be confused and frightened. He will call for help. I will answer him." "Is it telepathic?" "No not exactly. It's more precisely a sense of feelings. He will project, I will receive then reciprocate." "That's where I come in." Beverly sat up in her seat and placed her hands on the table. "Once Deanna makes contact she will let him know I'm there. At that stage I should be able to touch him. He will know me immediately." "Selar cocked her head. "How many times have you done this?" Beverly cast a glance at Deanna and sighed. "Too many times. Early on in his initial recovery, he had dreadful nightmares. Often he would loose contact with reality and enter a state of catatonia. We discovered my physical connection to him at that time. One touch from me worked wonders.most of the time." Will stroked his beard. "Were there times it didn't work?" Again the glance between friends. "Yes. But he did recover Will. We can't discount that." "Well let's just hope he comes out of it unscathed." They gathered around Jean-Luc's bed. Selar, Will, Deanna and Beverly, all dreading the coming events. Beverly hefted the hypospray and cast her eyes over her companions. "Are we ready?" They nodded in unison, Deanna moving closer to Jean-Luc. Beverly pressed the hypospray to his neck and injected him. They waited with trepidation, the minutes ticking by. Deanna frowned and shook her head. "I'm not getting anything." Beverly frowned. "How long should we wait?" Deanna shook her head. "I should be hearing him by now. Can he have more of the drug?" Selar checked the PADD she was holding and offered her opinion. "According to these statistics he can have a further ten cc's. Any more than that will cause a psychotic episode." Beverly sighed. "Well that leaves one question. Do we give him the whole dose, or part of it?" Will spoke up. "He's been in this state a long time. Perhaps he needs the whole dose." Deanna nodded. "I agree with Will. Maybe he can't find his way." With grim determination Beverly adjusted the hypospray and injected the entire ten cc's into Jean-Luc's neck. Will sighed. "What if it doesn't work? What do we do then?" Beverly was just about to answer when Deanna suddenly held up her hand. Stilling her body, she made herself hyperaware and concentrated with all her faculties. Jean-Luc became aware of light infiltrating his senses. At first fascinated, he soon became frightened as the light grew in intensity and overwhelmed him. In his mind he screamed. "Noooo! Stop it! Stop!.Help!.Someone help me!" He was screaming so loudly he didn't hear the voice but it was insistent, breaking through his terror. "Jean-Luc! Hear me Jean-Luc.it's Deanna.hear me!" He stilled, panting. "Deanna?" "Yes Jean-Luc it's Deanna. You're all right, you're safe and well and in Sick Bay." He calmed somewhat and asked tentatively, "Am I alive?" "Yes Jean-Luc. Beverly's here." Deanna opened her eyes and nodded at her friend. Beverly stepped forward and laid her hand on the side of his face. His body relaxed and he sighed. Beverly leaned to him and spoke softly. "You can open your eyes Jean-Luc." A small smile appeared on his face as his eyes cracked open. "Well hello there.welcome back." His gaze was unfocussed but the grin widened. Beverly sat on the bed and took his face in her hands. "You're safe Jean-Luc, safe and well. I want you to sleep now. Get some rest and we'll talk when you wake up." He tried to raise a hand but she forestalled him. "No my love.sleep." She brushed her hand over his eyes and they drifted shut. The neural inducers had been removed and Beverly peered at the monitors as he slipped into sleep. "Selar I want someone with him at all times. Most likely, he'll have nightmares and I don't want him to slip back into catatonia." Selar nodded to her superior and made a note on the computer. Will let out a large breath. "Is that it?" Beverly grimaced. "No Will, this has been the beginning. Now that he's back with us, he has to deal with whatever made him shut down in the first place." "Oh. Will he sleep long?" "That's hard to say. His psyche has begun to repair itself. He will sleep as long as he needs to, or at least as long as the nightmares stay away." "Can I stay with him?" Beverly smiled and grasped Will's shoulder. "Of course you can. I'll even show you how to read the monitor." Will grinned and retrieved a chair. "I'm all ears." The Doctor spent the next ten minutes instructing Will while Deanna concentrated on the Captain. She detected nothing sinister coming from his brain and decided he could be left for a while. By the time Beverly was finished with Will, Deanna was ready to leave. The three women left the room and went to the office to document their report. Will straddled the chair and rested his head on his folded arms. "Well Captain it's just you and me. I'll watch over you." Will sighed as he settled in his seat. He had served under Jean-Luc for many years now and had formed an unbreakable bond with the older man. Estranged from his own father, Will found the steady guidance from his friend a strong constant in his sometimes turbulent life. His burgeoning relationship with Deanna was a source of great happiness for him, as was the sense of family he found aboard the Starship, but it was the staunch dedication Jean-Luc showed him that sustained him the most. In many ways, Jean-Luc was the father he'd always wanted.needed.and Will was determined to stay by his friend's side to see his through the gathering storm. Three and a half hours later, Will was roused by the quiet alarm of the monitor. The Captain started to twitch and moan. Calling Beverly, he went to the Captain and was gently shaking his shoulder when Beverly came in. "Captain Picard.wake up, come on, wake up." Beverly came to Will's side and brushed his hands away. She reached down and took Jean-Luc's face in her hands. His breathing calmed and his body relaxed. "Jean-Luc? Wake up my love, it was just a dream." His eyes opened sluggishly and cast about in an unfocussed daze. Beverly recognised his confusion and spoke to him gently. "Jean-Luc you know it's me. Look at me." His eyes found her face and locked on to her. The monitor showed his heart rate slowing as he began to find reality. His deep voice croaked as he tried to speak. "Beverly?" "Yes my love, it's me. Come on wake up." As his faculties came on line, so did his memory. "The Borg! They.they made me." "No Jean-Luc that was a dream. You're in Sick Bay, it's ok now.you're all right." Her hand found his and gripped him tightly. Her other hand brushed his forehead. Jean-Luc watched her as the fear abated. He swallowed and took a large breath. Clearing his throat, he asked, "What happened to me?" Will stepped back to allow Beverly to sit on the bed. "You were injured some time ago Jean-Luc and your treatment made you think of the Borg. It became too much and your mind closed down." "Like before? When I had the nightmares?" "Yes like that." "How long?" Beverly cast a look at Will and smiled crookedly down at her lover. "Well it's been a few days." "Days?" "We had to keep you in the state you were in for medical reasons, but you're ok now." "I don't remember." "That's understandable. When you're feeling better, I'll bring you up to speed but for now.rest is the best thing." "No Beverly.I don't want to sleep.the nightmares." "I didn't say sleep, I said rest. I'll sit with you if you like, you just lie there and get better." He smiled and sighed. "I think I can manage that." Beverly grinned at him then turned to Will. "Do you want to stay?" "Actually I think I'll find Deanna and go to the lounge." To his captain he said, "You get better Sir, I'll see you later." Jean-Luc smiled at his First Officer and nodded. After Will left, Beverly went to the replicator and retrieved a glass of water. "Here you go, have a drink." She helped Jean-Luc to raise his head as he sipped the liquid and tut-tutted when he spilled some. She mopped up the spill and watched as he settled himself in the bed. For the next four hours they spoke of inconsequentialities and passed the time as good friend do. Eventually his eyes began to droop and Beverly wasn' t surprised to see him begin to slip into sleep, despite his fears. She stayed with him until he was into a deep sleep then called a nurse to be with him as she left his room. Over the next two days he slowly came out of his fugue, staying awake longer and dreaming less, although the nightmares still plagued him. When Selar came in to exercise his arm, his questions came to the fore. Selar called for Beverly and the three of them made themselves comfortable. Jean-Luc flexed his right fist and noted the fading scars. "What happened to my arm?" Beverly and Selar told the Captain about the accident and his treatment. When it came to tell him about the prosthesis his head snapped up and he held up his hand. "Wait! I remember that.when I woke up I though I'd been." ".re-assimilated. Yes. You tried to remove the unit and Selar had to sedate you. From that point on you went downhill." Jean-Luc groaned and wiped his hands down his face. "Oh God I remember now. I was so angry.with everyone. It seemed that everything I did only made me more angry and I couldn't understand why.I just vented my spleen on the closest person." "It's understandable Jean-Luc. When you became angry you lost control.and that made you angrier. It just fed itself in an unending circle." Jean-Luc lowered his head and blew out a breath. "How many apologies do I owe?" Beverly chuckled and brushed his arm. "Oh a few.and Ensign Fullarton could use a." Jean-Luc closed his eyes and rested his head back on the pillow. "That poor girl! Oh God, I confined her to quarters." "It's ok, Will rescinded the order when it became clear you were not.yourself." Jean-Luc frowned, his eyes going hard. "He did?" Beverly saw the change and moved to quell it. "Yes he did and it's a good thing too. That poor Ensign has suffered since; you've got no idea. She's gone from being one of our best to a shadow of her former self. You should speak to her." The Captain reined in his pique and studied his hands. "Yes, well perhaps later. What about my arm?" Beverly gathered a smile and took the appendage in her hands. "It's coming on fine. You'll have to do some therapy, strengthening exercises mostly, but all in all, I think we can pronounce it healed." Jean-Luc recalled the spikes and gently fingered his chest. "I was lucky, wasn't I." Beverly grew tender as she remembered reading his recent medical file. "Yes you were." "Once again it would seem I owe you my thanks." Beverly laughed and shook her head. "No, not me this time. I wasn't on board remember? It was Selar who restored you, not me." A look of confusion crossed Jean-Luc's face, then cleared as he remembered. "Yes! You and Deanna were at a medical symposium.then how.?" Beverly frowned and took his hand. "Jean-Luc your mind was overwhelmed by what you were experiencing. You were alone in your quarters when you entered a state of catatonia.you weren't found for fourteen hours. Selar didn't have access to all of your medical files and couldn't help you. Will decided to come and get us there and then." Jean-Luc caught Beverly's eyes with his own and sighed as a small smile spread across his face. "Did you miss much?" Beverly laughed and tossed her hair back. "Only some boring speeches and some even more boring food. Oh by the way Adam Simpson says hello." "Adam Simpson? You mean Donald Simpson's son?" "Yes." "Isn't he a Doctor?" "Uh huh. He runs the Sick Bay at the facility." Jean-Luc smiled and squeezed her hand. "I hope you didn't need his professional services." Beverly gulped and blushed, turning to fiddle with some instruments on the table. Jean-Luc noticed the change and asked curiously, "Beverly? What is it?" The woman in question re-gathered her wits and turned back to him, a smile beaming on her beautiful face. "He's a rogue Jean-Luc! He told us some of the most wicked gossip.I'll tell you later." Mollified, Jean-Luc grinned up at his lover and sighed. "I look forward to it.", although he wasn't completely convinced. -- Forwarded to ASCL by: Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek.creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? 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